Why Go to Church?

My interaction with a couple last week left me thinking on the essence and implication of going to a church. It was clear that both of them were looking at the issue from two totally different vantage points – one from a legalistic stand point and the other from a spiritual one. Though I had an opportunity to put forth my point of view with an intention to find the middle ground based on the Word, it was quite clear that one of them was not interested in anything that affected status quo.

In my experience at work, God has given me several opportunities to learn a lot of things. One of them is, to make decisions. And to make sound decisions, one has to have the right facts. And more often than not, these are not obvious and so one has to ask the right questions to get to them. So, at the most primary level, it is framing one’s questions to get the facts to make a decision. In this case, the question looked like this “Are you coming to this church or not?” This question had a strong potential to polarize the two parties as you’re either for it or against it plus one’s answer would arise from the present situation instead of the starting point.

And so, as I thought about it, I wanted to ask the right question. I framed it this way - “what is a church, what do followers of Christ do there and where do we as Christians stand in that context?” I think answering this question would help our couple (and anyone else who has a similar issue) find the truth above our opinions and belives. The very word “church” is mentioned in the Holy Bible only after Apostle Stephen was martyred. The root of the word “church” comes from Greek “ekklesia” which means a group or assembly of people meeting with a common purpose. So, what is important to note here is that it was NOT tied to a particular place, but a particular purpose.

And what do these people do when they meet is mentioned in the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians. Two verses that caught my attention were these: “They [believers in Christ Jesus] devoted themselves to Apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts – Acts 2:42&46.”

“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church – 1 Corinthians 14:26”

These verses clearly inform us that in a church

§ One must listen and learn apostles’ teaching which is the Holy Bible (the only authority). Quite often this is wrongly interpreted as what a particular church pastor says is to be followed implicitly as that is considered as apostles’ teaching. My suggestion for this group of people is to follow the example of Bereans (Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true – Acts 17:11). The fact of the matter is your pastor did not give you salvation; it was the Lord and your faith in His Word.

§ And secondly, one must fellowship by connecting with the fellow believers and encouraging each other on can strengthen the church as in 1 Corinthians 14.26 (above).

So, by following what is written in the Word let’s make our time meaningful at the Church of God. We would do well if we worship our God in Spirit and Truth rather through rules and rituals. We’ve been made free by Christ, let’s not get enslaved by enforcing rules that don’t satisfy our Maker. My hope and prayer to the couple and many others is that they find the truth above their opinions and beliefs. I honestly feel that our beliefs and opinions don’t change the way of life in general, but only alter our approach to the changes in our society. In the end the question is not just “why go to Church?” but “Am I fulfilling my role as a follower of Christ?”

May God bless you!!